Ayaka
by K. A. Maples
Summary: Three years ago, Ayaka's father abandond his family for the sake of his tribe, and his daughter swore off all contact with the Garou... now Fate has forced her to be with the very people she had foresworn.
1. Chapter 1

Ayaka sighed as the old Chinese woman tottered in on feet that could barely support her and hand been bound since her youth. "You need to see a real doctor."  
  
"A real doctor?" she asked, the condition really did look painful.. Tiny feet for looks were a terrible thing to pay for in your older days. "But aren't you a real doctor?"  
  
"I never went to medical school, and you know that, Mrs. Wu." She lead the old woman to the back room and helped her up onto the table. "I want you to promise me that you'll see an actual medical doctor tomorrow."  
  
The old woman followed her with a slow, steady shuffle.. She barely lifted her feet off the floor. "I will go... Just help me today. Where would I go to get a doctor to look at my feet?" she asked as she got onto the table.  
  
"I'll give you the address a very good doctor who speaks Mandarin like you do, Mrs. Wu. And tomorrow night, I will call him and ask him if a sweet woman who suffered for her beauty has come to see him, and I will be very unhappy if he says that he has not seen you and been dazzled by your wit." She took the old woman's shoes off and sighed. The sores had broken open again, and Ayaka was sure that they would get infected soon, if they weren't already. She put her hands on Mrs. Wu's ankles and put her energy into the wounds, encouraging them to heal.  
  
Mrs. Wu smiled a kindly smile as the wounds on her feet slowly faded... And she started to feel her own get uncomfortable. Ms Wu nodded her head and reached out to pat her on the shoulder. "I will, thank you for helping me once again Ayaka... I will go tomorrow as you asked. It's a shame you never became a full doctor.. You have great talent, I believe."  
  
Ayaka let go of Mrs. Wu's feet and grabbed some fresh bandages and a jar of herbal salve her mother made for the Chinese women who suffered from the same complaints as Mrs. Wu. She crouched down in front of the old woman again and rubbed the salve gently into her dry, oddly shaped feet, then wrapped them in bandages. "There. Now I'm going to call your son and have him pick you up. Making you walk here..." she shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Shameful."  
  
"Thank you.. And I know, but he is a busy man sometimes, I can't really blame him... We can't hold our children forever, we must let them be sooner or later if that is what they wish.. How is your family, Ayaka?" She asked as she rested there, looking down at her wrapped feet. "Be glad you didn't have to do this sort of thing.. You should be much healthier then me when you grow older. At least in the feet."  
  
"My family is well, thank you for asking." Ayaka picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Wu's cell phone number.  
  
"Yes?" He asked after he picked up the phone in two things. There were the typical sounds of a busy office in the background, and the closer sound of someone typing at a computer.  
  
"Mr. Wu, It's Ayaka Mori. Could you send someone to pick up your mother?"  
  
"Mm? Oh, yes, of course. I'll send a cab right over, it'll be there soon. Thank you for calling Ayaka."  
  
"One more thing. I'm going to give your mother the name and address of a doctor, and I want you to make sure she sees him tomorrow, okay?"  
  
There was a pause before he replied questioningly. "How am I supposed to make her do that? Arrange for a car or something of the sort?"  
  
"That would probably be a good idea. She really needs to see a doctor before one of those sores gets infected and her feet need to be amputated."  
  
"... Yes of course. I will arrange for it as soon as I send a car. Good bye, miss Ayaka. Thank you for your time." He hung up and Mrs. Wu smiled at her a little bit.  
  
Ayaka hung up and pulled her notepad out of her pocket. "Your son said he would have someone drive you to Dr. Lee tomorrow." she said as she wrote down the name, address, and phone number of the doctor she wanted her to see. She tore the page off with a flourish and handed it to Mrs. Wu. "A cab will be here soon to pick you up. When you get home, I want you to soak those feet in hot water and this..." She picked a plain brown packet out from the jars and packets on the shelves and handed it to her, then gave her the jar with the salve. "Then you ask that daughter in law of yours to rub this on your feet and rebandage them in clean bandages. Please try to stay off your feet so the sores don't break open again."  
  
Mrs. Wu nodded her head and smiled graciously at Ayaka, taking the paper and items she was handed and tucking them away into a pocket. "Thank you, very much. I don't know what I would have done without you, Ayaka. You are a Godsend. You should consider going to medical school sometime, or nursing school, maybe..." She got to her feet slowly. "They almost feel like they are brand new."  
  
"It is an honor to be of service, Mrs. Wu." Neither of them talked about the bill as the old woman pulled out the checkbook and wrote out the usual amount for these treatments. Traditional Chinese did not talk about bills. It was not polite.  
  
Mrs. Wu smiled wider and bowed to her, then turned and walked towards the door. "Good bye, miss Ayaka. I will see you another time, even if my feet do not act up away." The woman left the shop to her, and all was quiet once again.  
  
Ayaka groaned and sat down, kicking her shoes off and grabbing a jar of salve. Her feet throbbed a little but it wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be. She was getting used to it.. The salve gave her some much welcomed relief though. Hopefully, next time she saw Mrs. Wu, she wouldn't end up with sore feet. She sure was a nice old lady.. It was a shame about her feet. Without Ayaka's gifts.. She might have lost them a long time ago.  
  
There were other old women that frequented the store who suffered from the same complaints with considerably less grace than Mrs. Wu. THEY paid nearly double what Mrs. Wu did. You'd think people would be more kind to those whom held the fate of some of their limbs in the palms of their hands. Some people were just plain stupid. It was a good thing the shop didn't get a whole lot of people though... The healing sometimes took a lot out of her.  
  
Of course, if they did more business, she might actually be able to go to collage, then medical school. Actually put her talents to good use. If it was meant to happen, it would.. It was possible she was doing the most good right there in the little shop, as unlikely as it seemed.  
  
But still... She could do so much with an actual degree and some real medical training. She sighed and shook her head. "And while I'm dreaming," she said aloud, "I'd like a pony."  
  
"What on earth would you do with a pony?" she heard a man ask. He looked around the shop then nodded to himself. He was dressed in a rather nice suit, and a pair of expensive looking glasses. He was well groomed, and his finger nails were trimmed. His black hair was short and slicked back.  
  
Ayaka looked up and frowned. Why hadn't she heard the bell on the door? "May I help you, sir?" she asked, standing up and sliding her feet back into her shoes.  
  
"No, not really, I'm just looking for someone. I believe her name was.." He looked down and checked something written on the back of a card. "Ayaka? I think that's how it's pronounced.."  
  
"May I ask who's looking for her?" she asked, slightly on guard. The shop was small, but one never knew what would attract the attention of the Tongs or the Yakuza.  
  
"I knew of her, or we did, from her father. it's been a while and I'm looking to reestablish contact with her. That's all. Oh, I might as well pick up some ginseng root while I'm here too, I suppose.."  
  
"Dried, powdered, or pickled?" Ayaka asked.  
  
"Dried. Do you know where I can find her?" He glanced around the shop again and took out his wallet.  
  
"I can let you know you were looking for her, Mr..?" she turned around and grabbed a jar of dried ginseng root. "How many ounces?"  
  
"Eight ounces. And I am mister Watson. Here is my card." He gave her a card with his name, phone for office and cell, and the address for this consulting firm, Watson and Watson.   
  
"I'll let her know you were looking for her." 'Just because you say you know my father doesn't mean I want anything to do with you.' she thought as she measured out eight ounces of the root and wrapped it up in plain brown paper. "Twelve forty nine, sir."  
  
He took out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to her as he took the root with a smile, and held the bag under one arm. "Here you are, miss. Keep the change. Have a nice day." He waved to her, then turned and walked out the door without the slightest hesitation.  
  
"You too, sir." she said, glad to see him gone as she slipped the twenty into the cash drawer. He seemed nice enough, even if he was a bit classy. He'd fit right into the MiB or high class gangster stereotype. She didn't trust him. She knew that eventually... he'd probably come back. It depended on how much they wanted to see her. Ayaka sighed and shifted her weight off her feet. All she could really do was hope for the best.  
  
Ayaka rubbed the bridge of the nose and sighed again, looking at the clock. Another hour till her brothers got home.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka handed the delivery boy a twenty and took the pizza box. "Thanks." she said over little Sakura's 'singing'. She'd heard cats in heat that sounded better then that. It was a good thing pizzas kept getting bigger and bigger.. She sure didn't want to cook for the entire family, at least, not all the time. Hiro and Shin were quiet mostly... For now, watching some TV program or another. "Dinner time!" she announced, carrying the pizza over to the table. She went over to her mother's bedroom door and tapped on it. "Momma? Dinner's here."  
  
"Pizza!" Hiro and Shin called out in near unison, racing each over to the dinner table, and Sakura started singing 'Pizza pizza pizza!'   
  
Her mother smiled as she opened the door. "I heard.. Pizza, I'm guessing?" she said as she stepped out towards the table.  
  
"Unless *you* feel like cooking something." Ayaka said. "Momma, I need to talk to you about something."  
  
"I don't think so." She said with a chuckle. "I've had enough of cooking for you all.. I had done so for many years. What is it you wish to talk about?"  
  
Ayaka glanced at her siblings to make sure they weren't listening. "Someone who said he knew Daddy came into the shop looking for me today."  
  
"Mmm.. I see. You don't think he came from the east, do you? Why did he say he had come? Just to look for you? Interesting... Hm... Either it's one of his enemies or one of his friends.. It's hard to tell. What are you going to do?"  
  
"His name is Western, but he has the look of an Asian." She pulled out the card the man had given her. "I'm going to wait and see what he does."  
  
"A good decision. You are definitely your father's daughter. Speaking of the shop, how was it today?" her mother took the card and looked it over, shaking her head. "I do not remember it, but I may have forgotten.."  
  
"Mrs. Wu came in, and I gave her the name and address of a good doctor."  
  
"Good. It is about time that she went, even though you are a very talented healer yourself."  
  
"I may be good, but I can't save her feet the way things are going."  
  
"Not yet, you mean. I'm sure in time you will become a healer to be remembered for a long while."  
  
"Mm.... we had better get out there if we want any dinner."  
  
"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot how fast they go through those pies." She said and shuffled off quickly towards the table. Ayaka followed, pushing all thoughts of the strange man out of her mind on her quest for pizza. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Dr. Lee? Hi, it's Ayaka Mori. I'm just calling to make sure that Mrs. Su-Lin Wu came by your office today."  
  
"Hello Ayaka! Hm.. Missus Wu.. Misses Wu.. Yes, she came by earlier for her feet. They look rather bad.. But I should be able to work with them. It's a good thing you sent her when you did. I must also say you did an excellent job of doing what you could for her feet."  
  
"I always try my best, doctor."  
  
"And you perform admirably. Someday you and I must exchange notes. Is that all you wanted to know, Ayaka?"  
  
"Mm-hm, pretty much."  
  
"You have a nice day then, I must get back to work. Goodbye." The doctor hung up as Ayaka heard the bell at the door ring. She hung up the phone and headed out to the front of the shop.  
  
It was that man again, same suit, hair, glasses.. Everything. He looked at her and shook his head. "You never called back."  
  
"No, I didn't."  
  
"Why didn't you? Something wrong with the phone?" He checked the time on a digital watch.  
  
"No, but I don't think the call was particularly necessary. Sir, you may know Tsubasa Mori.... but that doesn't mean his family wants anything to do with you, or him."  
  
"Why wasn't the call necessary? Ah.. So, so offensive. Why? Have I done anything to offend you or them? I'm just looking to make contact again after many years. I don't bite. Honest."  
  
"You came here dropping the name of a man who ran out on his family and his responsibilities. That would endear you to no one, sir."  
  
He shook his head. "Sometimes people must do things, even if they do not want to. Do you think that he really wanted to leave his family? He didn't." The man shook his head. "How is the family fairing?"  
  
"I don't think that's any of your business, sir. Please leave."  
  
"Don't make me the bad guy, alright? At least give me a chance before you shoo me away like some stray cat."  
  
"What do you want with her, anyway?"  
  
"That's a matter I really need to talk with her about. I won't make her do anything. We can talk in public if you like. You can even watch."  
  
"She will contact you if she wants to. I already gave her your name and number, sir."  
  
He sighed. "What would she want to call me?" He sat down on a chair, if there were any.  
  
"Sir, unless you have real business here, I must ask once again that you leave."  
  
"Come on. Everyone wants something." He said as he put a twenty on the table. "Buying time in the literal fashion. Maybe she wants a pony too."  
  
"And maybe the police would like to know why you're hanging around here looking for a girl."  
  
"Oh please. Like the police are going to car in a big city like this. There haven't even been any threats. Never cry wolf, you know? I want to introduce her to some friends."  
  
"Why does that not put me at ease?"  
  
"They ain't bad, not at all. We want to show her around the place, talk with her, nothing hostile. She could leave anytime she wanted.. We'd give her ten thousand dollars, just for coming."  
  
"This deal smells like fresh mugwort."  
  
"She can leave if she wants. We'll give her a phone, whatever conditions she wants."  
  
"The deal still stinks worse than rotten fish."  
  
"Yeah, I know, I know..." Watson said as Ayaka's two brothers came in, much to her dismay.   
  
"Hey, do we get pizza again today?"   
  
"Yeah, do we Ayaka?"   
  
"Do we?"   
  
The man just shook his head at her.  
  
Ayaka shot her brothers a withering stare. "Upstairs, both of you."  
  
"We aren't getting pizza tonight, are we?" Shinji asked Hiro, who shook his head.   
  
"Doesn't look like it.. Hey, Toonami is on!"   
  
"Oh yeah!" They both ran upstairs as quickly as they could, almost falling a couple times as they raced.   
  
"Cute kids. So, Ayaka... Why won't you come with me?"  
  
"Because I don't trust you."  
  
"Well how am I supposed to get you to trust me? Buy you a pony?"  
  
"Sir, there is nothing you could do to get me to trust you any further than I could throw you."  
  
"There has to be something I can do. The local furs wanna get to know you and all. Most've us have heard of you, just never seen you."  
  
"Local furs?"  
  
"Yeah. You know. Rar. Crush. Smash. Shave. Those kind of folks."  
  
"I am even less interested than before."  
  
"Why? We're all your relatives. Well. Kind of. Don't you want to learn about things? Be part of the furry freedom fighting force thing? You know. Saving the world before bedtime."  
  
"No."  
  
"Why? You sound kind of bitter."  
  
"I got a taste of the kind of shit you all get involved in. I don't want anything to do with that. Now get out."  
  
Watson held up his hands. "I'll leave, I'll leave. If you really want me to.. What kind of shit do you mean? Some of us ain't always... You mean your dad taking off?"  
  
"You ever had thousands of spiders crawling all over your body?"  
  
"Um.. No, and I don't really want to think about that... Freaky. I don't think how any of us could have done that unless we were fucked up."  
  
"Mm-hm. Well I have because of the shit my dad got in to. Now. Get. Out."  
  
"If you're going to blame your dad's mess ups on people you don't even know, I don't see how your related to him. Take care of the family." He put a c note on the counter and left.  
  
Ayaka went to the door and locked it, leaving the bill on the counter and heading upstairs. She found her brothers on the couch watching Batman Beyond, while Sakura was playing with a toy telephone quietly in the corner for a change. Her mother was at the table, reading a paper with a cup of tea nearby, cooling.  
  
"Momma, could you watch the shop? I need to lie down."  
  
"Mm? Oh, yes, not a problem." her mother got up and picked her paper and tea up, then went down stairs to watch the shop.  
  
Ayaka went into her room and shut the door, going over to her bed. Rest would be welcome and would give her time to think.. if there was anything to think about.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka ground the root into a fine powder, then scooped the powder into the little gel capsule, before putting all the capsules she'd already made into a jar. There were quite a lot of them, and making the pills was a long, boring task. As normal, things were slow in the shop. She'd had the one customer earlier, and Ms Wu had stopped for tea, but that was it.  
  
Well, boring wasn't all that bad. Boring could be very restful. And sometimes, boring was best.. What was that curse again? 'May you live in interesting times'? How was that a curse though...  
  
She shook her head and put the jar on the shelf. The bell rang as a man stepped in dressed in a stylish jacket, expensive pants, shirt, and tie. He smiled at her, then went about browsing the store's shelves and items casually.  
  
"Can I help you, sir?"  
  
"I was wondering if you had anything that was good for helping with the siring of children? One of my sons is having a little trouble with it and I was looking to give him a push." She pointed him towards three jars and waited. He went over to them and looked through them. "I'll take some of each. How much do you recommend?"  
  
"At least five ounces of each."  
  
"In that case, I'll take ten ounces of each. I'd like him to have children *sometime* before the year is through. I'm Samuel Thomason, thank you for your help." He offered his hand out in greeting  
  
"If you'll hand me those jars, I can get your purchase, Mr. Thomason." Ayaka said, ignoring the hand.  
  
"Tsk. Most people seal deals with a handshake." he said as he got the jars for her.  
  
"I'm not overly fond of physical contact, sir."  
  
"Germaphobe?" He asked as he waited for her to get the pills for him. "Not that I mean to be rude. Just curious, miss."  
  
"No, but I prefer to be careful, since I am handling medication." She weighed the pills and put them in three separate little brown bags. "Thirty-four seventy."  
  
He gave her two twenties and waited for his change with a nod. "That makes sense, I suppose. Most pharmacies are quite sterile.. " He glanced around the place again. "Not quite a pharmacy, but the same thing, neither the less. Who owns this shop, anyways?"  
  
"My mother."  
  
"I see.. I was wondering something else. How is it you are toiling away in this shop, Ayaka?"  
  
She stopped, taking a step back from the counter.  
  
"You could be doing a lot better in a different location, or doing something else with your life. I really don't see the point of staying here."  
  
"Thank you for your business sir. I hope your son puts those pills to good use."  
  
"Do you always be so rude to guest? Or customers, at least." He took the bags. "Really now. You thought Watson was going to be the last, or you think I will? Don't be silly girl."  
  
"I already told him I'm not interested, and I'll tell every last one of you the same."  
  
He shook his head. "You don't understand. Sooner or later, your going to come across one of us that isn't so 'nice'. And they won't take no for an answer. Or worse yet, you will be caught by someone that finds out about you, and uses you for leverage for a deal. You can't deny a heritage as strong as your's, Ayaka. To think you can is to think you can stop a river with a toothpick." He adjusted his clothes, then turned and started to walk out the door.  
  
Ayaka turned on her heel and headed upstairs. "Momma?"  
  
"What is it this time, Ayaka?" With the things that had been happening lately, her mother suspected this was one of those things.  
  
"Momma, could you man the front for the next few days?"  
  
"Yes... I could, what happened this time? Are you afraid of something or dodging someone? Or are you just taking a break?"  
  
"A bit of the first two. If anyone you don't recognize comes looking for me, tell them I'm not here and you don't know when I'll be back. Do you still have that box of stuff Daddy left? The one with the gun?"  
  
"I see.. What has happened? And yes, I do.. I'll leave it in your room tonight. I don't want the kids to find it.." her mother whispered to her. "Don't let them get a hold of it. That would be a disaster.. I hope you don't need it though."  
  
"Another one like the guy who was here before came by, and he implied that something might happen." Ayaka said. "Are the silver rounds still in the box?"  
  
"Another one like the guy who was here before came by, and he implied that something might happen." Ayaka said. "Are the silver rounds still in the box?"  
  
Her mother thought about it for a minute. "Perhaps.. There might be a couple. If you are lucky. Have you even shot a gun before though, Ayaka? It'll just be very... Unfortunate, if you shot and missed."  
  
"I'll just have to learn."  
  
"Yes.. You will. And learn well. If it came to that you'd get only one shot."  
  
"So I'll just have to get good enough so one shot is all I need. I'll go to one of the gun ranges."  
  
"Maybe I'll take Hiro and Shinji along, so they can learn proper gun safety."  
  
"You have my permission to do that if you like.. But what about Sakura, Ayaka? If you put the gun high enough it should be fine... At least, for now. I wish you luck in your training."  
  
"Thanks, Momma." Ayaka gave her mother a quick hug. "I just wish I knew what they want me for."  
  
"Did they say yet?" She hugged her back then relaxed again. "I'm sure they will let it be known sooner or later."  
  
"No, but there've been certain... implications."  
  
Her mother nodded her head. "Have either of them been hostile?" She reached behind her to rub her old back, letting out a sigh.  
  
"The second one became hostile after I told him I wanted nothing to do with them."  
  
"Hm..Maybe it's the old good cop, bad cop trick." Her mother sat down in the nearest chair available.  
  
"I don't care. I want nothing to do with anything they have in mind."  
  
"But if you don't know what they have in mind.. How do you know? Never mind, if I keep thinking about that I'm going to go cross eyed."  
  
"I remember the last time I got involved in the things that had to do with the hegeyokai. I have no desire to repeat the experience."  
  
"Ayaka.. It's not as though that happens to everyone. What did occur was probably exceedingly rare. I understand your fear, though... I'd never wish to have something like that happen to me."  
  
"I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen to me again, Momma."  
  
"If they liked you as much as it seems, they'd probably protect you from spiders.. Should you need it."  
  
"I would rather rely on myself for protection."  
  
"You know they are going to get you involved sooner or later if they really want you.." She shrugged. "Your strong handedness is admirable though."  
  
"Some day I will be like those stubborn old women who insist on walking on bound feet." Ayaka said. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Hiro, you will sit down there and be quiet, or you wont be able to walk right for a week." Ayaka threatened as she paid for the targets and three hundred rounds.  
  
"Alright alright! Jeez." Hiro sat down with a pout and tilted his head down, looking up at her and waiting for whatever she wished to say.  
  
"Today, you two are going to learn how to use a gun without hurting yourselves or others. Remember, do not point a gun at anyone you don't plan to shoot." She gave her brothers the eye and ear protectors she'd rented for them and headed out to the range.  
  
They each put them on then glanced at each other. "We're going to get to shoot things?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Huh?"  
  
Shinji took off his ear protectors as he walked with Ayaka. "I said we're going to get to shoot stuff?" he asked as Hiro took off his own.   
  
"Oh, yeah! Cool."  
  
"You are going to get to shoot targets. You're learning this for the same reason you go to the dojo every week. To learn to protect yourself."  
  
"But if we don't have any guns, how are we going to use them to protect ourselves?"   
  
"I didn't know you had a gun Ayaka, where'd ya get it?"  
  
"Daddy left it behind." Ayaka loaded the gun with the normal rounds. She only had twenty silver rounds, and those were in her room. She couldn't afford to waist them. Where would she even get more if she needed them? She only had enough for just one bullet short of three clips.   
  
"Cool! I never knew dad liked them."   
  
"Me neither." They both looked at it curiously as they listened and followed her.  
  
"Daddy had it for protection. Guns are not cool, they are a tool and a weapon." She hung the target up and pushed the button so it went three feet downrange. She adjusted her eye and ear protectors, then raised the gun and lined the head up in her sights.  
  
"Then how come they look so cool?"   
  
"And shiny!"   
  
"Don't forget the noises. And the neat patterns you can shoot." They both stopped talking and but the ear protectors back on and watched her anxiously. The bullet flew from the muzzle of the gun with a light recoil and struck in the head zone, in the portion on the left. Not quite in the center, but not too far from it.  
  
Ayaka put the gun down, muzzle pointing down range. Her hands were shaking. "Shinji, your turn."  
  
Shinji stepped up quickly then Hiro made a face and watched as his brother picked up the gun. "Just point and pull this?"  
  
"Aim, point, and squeeze, Shinji."  
  
"What's the difference between pull and squeeze?" he asked with a shrug as he gripped the gun with both hands, aimed, and fired the weapon at the center of the man shaped target.  
  
"Pulling is more violent an action and can break the gun if you do it to hard. Hiro, your turn."  
  
The bullet went through the paper of the target and came just about as close to the center mass as she had gotten on the head. Shinji put the gun down and stepped back excitedly with a small grin. "Beat that Hiro."   
  
"Just watch me. Nyah." he said, making a face at Shinji as he picked up the gun and aimed at the target in the same area Shinji had, and fired. His bullet got closer to the center mark then Ayaka's, or Shinji's bullet, and he put the gun down as Shinji pouted. "Beat you, hehehe."  
  
"We're not here to play games, boys." Ayaka said, picking the gun back up and squeezing off two rounds, taking a little less time to aim and pointing in the general direction of the head.  
  
"We're just having a little fun." They said after she shot, and the two bullets landed in the outer rings on the head. At least she hit it again.  
  
"Nice job Ayaka."   
  
"Yeah, maybe next time I'll shoot at the head thing too."  
  
Ayaka frowned a little, and let her brothers have their turns again. She began planning on coming to the range every afternoon. She really needed to improve. This time, both brothers missed the target, and made pouty faces as the gun needed to be reloaded. They stepped back and looked up at her. They didn't know why their sister had a sudden interest in guns.. They just knew they got to shoot them now. And that was good enough for them.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka smiled at Mrs. Wu as she came into the shop. "How is my favorite customer?"  
  
"Just fine, thank you." she said with a smile, her feet and posture actually looked like walking this time. "How have you been?"  
  
"Well enough, Mrs Wu. What can I do for you today?"  
  
"I thought you might like to talk, and I want to thank you for recommending that doctor for me." Ms Wu was happy as ever, the pain that was in her face most of the time was lessened greatly.  
  
"Have a seat, Mrs. Wu. I'd love to have someone to talk to."  
  
"Of course." She took a seat nearby and put her hands in her lap, letting out a relaxed sigh. "Maybe I'll come by more often then."  
  
"I would welcome it. Can I get you some tea?"  
  
"Please, if it's no trouble." She kept her eyes on her, . "How have things been lately around here?"  
  
"Some people who say they knew my father have been coming around and bothering me." Ayaka said, turning around and going over to the small sink behind the counter, grabbing the tea kettle and filling it.  
  
"Oh? Trying to collect old debts maybe?" She guessed and waited as the tea kettle was filled, then placed on the stove. She thought about it as the bell on the door rang again as her back was turned.  
  
"It could be.... but I don't trust them."  
  
The person that had walked in was a man, but he was just in casual clothes. A pair of faded jeans, and a plain white t shirt that hung nicely off his shoulders. He was plain enough, with a few dimples, green eyes, and red hair. Not many like him were seen in this part of town, that's for sure.  
  
"May I help you?" Ayaka asked, putting the kettle on the hot plate.  
  
"Eh? Na, not yet, I'm just havin' a look around lass." He had a slight Irish accent. He flashed her a charming smile, then went back to looking through the various herbs and such. Ms Wu glanced at him, then looked back to her.   
  
Ayaka shrugged and sat down, her hand going under the counter to touch the handgun briefly before picking up her conversation with Mrs. Wu in Chinese. Ayaka started to feel.. Something, but it was quickly snuffed out with a shake of the head as the man walked up to the counter. "Ya got anything that's good for stamina?"  
  
Ayaka rattled off the names of several herbs as she pulled out the mah jong set she kept under the counter and set up a game for herself and Mrs. Wu.  
  
He got some the herbs from a nearby shelf and came back towards the counter. "How much'll that be? Not too much I 'ope."  
  
Ayaka pulled the gun closer to her under the counter, just in case. Gaijin didn't come to this part of town without reason, and she had good reason to suspect he was another of the hegeyokai. "How many ounces would you like, sir?"  
  
"Just some.... Um.. Two ounces I guess.. If it works I'll get more, heh." He took some crumpled up money out of a pocket. Ms Wu gave him a glance then made her move in the game she and Ayaka were playing. "Not a bad shop ya have here."  
  
Ayaka measured out the amount and put it into a little brown bag, writing the cost on the top in pencil and sliding it to him. "Thank you, sir."  
  
He paid her then took the bag and his change. "Thank you. By the way..." He looked her over from head to toe, the sniffed for a moment. "Nah, never mind. Have a nice day." He turned and left the store.  
  
"You too, sir." Ayaka said, sitting back down and returning to the game.  
  
"He was a nice enough young man, I wish my son had a smile like that. Then I might get some grand children." Mrs. Wu chuckled as Ayaka made her next move.  
  
"Gaijin like that? More trouble than he's worth, I bet."  
  
"Those people must have really gotten you edgy. I don't think I've seen you like this before."  
  
"Never know when the Tongs or the Yakuza are going to try and move in."  
  
"Mm.. That's true, but I've never seen any gang member with hair like that."  
  
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid."  
  
"Maybe. Then again, paranoid people live longer. It has been a while since we've last played.. Forgive me if I'm a little rusty."  
  
"Ah, but you mastered this game long before I was born."  
  
"Always the flatterer." Mrs. Wu said as she made another move.  
  
"Just stating a fact."  
  
"If you say so. Your quite kind.. The world should have more people like you. Or the neighborhood at least. Things would be much more pleasant."  
  
***  
  
Ayaka looked over the potted herbs displayed in front of Old Mr. Myagi's store. "Is this everything you have?" she asked.  
  
The old man nodded his head as he looked over his plants. "That is all of them, yes. Is there something you are looking for that is not there?"  
  
"Not really. Just wondering." She picked up the small potted mint. "I think this will be all for today, sir."  
  
Myagi nodded his head and thought about it, then gave her a price. "Reasonable, mm? Just let me know if you need anything, I can probably get it."  
  
"I will, sir. Thank you." She handed him a few crumpled bills and took the potted plant, heading towards the shop. She would be glad to get back inside again. The pistol felt so strange, tucked into her jeans behind her jacket.  
  
At least it was something to protect against whatever wanted her though. The streets were pretty normal for this time of day, there were an amount of people on the street, but nothing really bustling. "Hey. How's it going?" She knew that voice, it was the first man. Watson.  
  
"Just fine." she said, polite but cool.  
  
"Cool, cool. Nice plant you have there."  
  
"Mm."  
  
"You know.. Might be too late for you, but what about the kids?"  
  
"Come near my siblings and I'll shoot you."  
  
"You're not listening. I don't mean taking them away. How much do you know about us?"  
  
"Silver hurts and you have a talent for attracting trouble."  
  
"Yeah. Now. What happens if one or more of them turns into one of us?"  
  
"They wont."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because Father said so."  
  
"And you believe your father is infallible."  
  
"I trust what he's said more than I trust you."  
  
"You don't even know me though."  
  
"Nor do I wish to."  
  
"Why not? Can't we all just get along? Get with the furry program?"  
  
"Go away and leave me alone."  
  
"How long do you think you can ignore what you are?"  
  
"I know what I am."  
  
"Then what are you, Ayaka?"  
  
"A human who wants nothing to do with you."  
  
Watson clucked his tongue. "Don't say that. It'll come back to bite you.. Tempting fate and all."  
  
'The only one tempting fate right now is you.' she through, walking just a little faster. The voice went silent and after a while, she glanced behind her and saw he was not there.. Maybe they'd gotten the idea and would leave her alone. She looked around quickly before picking up the pace a bit. Thankfully she got home without further incident, and was alone in the shop.. She got off the uncomfortable gun as she headed upstairs, it was about time for dinner anyways. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ayaka turned on the faucet and put a glass under it. After she had her drink, she noticed something : Shinji wasn't in bed.. He was sitting in front of the window with his legs crossed, looking up into the night sky. A few, thin rays of moonlight danced down from the night sky, bathing his body in their pale glow. She'd never quite seen him like *this* before, even in his more thoughtful moments.  
  
"Shinji?" She approached her younger brother slowly. He didn't seem to notice her, but she did see a glass of water near him as she approached. It was almost like he wasn't there.. He wasn't even blinking. "Shinji, go to bed."  
  
His breathing was slow and deep. Shinji still wasn't noticing her.. A few moments went by, and he disappeared into thin air. Maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep.. Ayaka shook her head and went back to Hiro and Shinji's room, just to make sure. When she looked inside, she saw Hiro resting in his bed quietly.. And Shinji's was empty. She shut the door and looked back at the window.  
  
Ayaka found something there that she never thought she'd see.. Nor did she want to. Where there was nothing just a few moments ago, there was now.. A large, muscular wolf like creature was sitting exactly where Shinji had been.... Her father had been *wrong*. An now, she had a werewolf in her living room.  
  
She backed away slowly, her eyes never leaving the black furred creature. After two steps, one of it's ears twitched, and it's head slowly turned to her. She could see that it wasn't angry.. It seemed pretty.. Peaceful, actually. It tried to speak, looking aggressive for just one moment as it's lips began to form a word. After a few moments of frustrated stuttering in a harsh voice that sounded like it was filtered through whiskey and broken glass, he spoke. "Ay.. Ay... Ayaka.."  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
He bobbed his large head at her and stood up, walking towards her slowly, unsure of his newly turned body. "Y.. Yes"  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
"I... D.. Don't know.." He seemed to have trouble with speaking, and his face contorted with every word.  
  
"Just... stay there, okay?"  
  
He bobbed his head again and sat down on the floor, looking over his body from head to furry toes. If he couldn't turn back before the others got up.. Well, the other children.. She swore under her breath as she opened the junk drawer and pulled out something she'd hoped never to use.  
  
She was going to have to call them for help, and now one of her brothers was one too. Now she would have to deal with them. She could feel her bile rising as she picked up the phone. There was a groan on the other end of the phone as the man answered. "Whoever this is must have a death wish."  
  
"You have twenty minutes to get over here."  
  
"Who.. Ayaka? Why the sudden change of heart at this hour?"  
  
"You've got twenty minutes."  
  
"... Ok, I'll be right over there. You really need to find a better hour though." He hung up.  
  
Ayaka hung up and went back to her brother, approaching him warily. "Someone who can help you is on the way."  
  
"Alright.. I... What... Is.. This..?" Shinji reached out a large paw to her, slowly for her shoulder. His face told her he wasn't sure whether this was real or not.  
  
"I don't know, Shinji."  
  
His paw touched her shoulder, and thankfully, the claws didn't come close to her skin. "Is... This... Real?" Where the hell was that guy?  
  
"Yeah, it is." She put a hand on top of his paw.  
  
".. How?" he asked, and after a few more minutes of wonder, there was a knocking downstairs that she could hear.   
  
"Hey!" Watson shouted from downstairs.  
  
"Just say here." Ayaka said, pulling her robe closed and heading downstairs.  
  
Watson was right there, looking a bit disheveled. He had on his pajamas, under a trench coat, and he was wearing a set of slippers. "I hope this is important."  
  
"It's Shinji. He's upstairs."  
  
He blinked then came into the store so long as she let him. "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"  
  
"Go see for yourself."  
  
Watson shrugged and turned, heading upstairs quietly then he went into the room. "Oh... My... I think you might have a pet problem.." He walked over to Shinji and looked him over from head to toe. "Hello, Shinji.."   
  
"Who.. Are.. You?"   
  
"Just call me Wat."  
  
Ayaka watched from a distance, going back for the water she had left behind.  
  
"What's wrong?" Watson looked him over again, then shook his head. "You can't change back, can you?"   
  
"... No."  
  
Watson put his hand to his chin and rubbed it, trying to think of something.. "You might just shift back after sleep, that's what normally happens..." He looked at Ayaka. "Is there anywhere he can go to rest?"  
  
"He can't stay here.... Hiro and the baby......." Almost as if on cue, little Sakura started crying in their mother's room.  
  
"Fuck. Well we can't move him because... He'd be seen. And my car can't fit that in it. Maybe we could convince them he's the bear from the big blue house.."  
  
"I think Hiro's a bit old to fall for that."  
  
"If you've got any suggestions I'd love to hear them... Shinji. I need you to close your eyes, and concentrate."  
  
".....Shinji, you'll stay in my room, okay?"  
  
"You go put him in your room. I'll be right back." Watson left quickly at a soft run, leaving her alone with him.   
  
Shinji opened his eyes and nodded his head slowly at her. "Ok A-Ayaka.."  
  
Ayaka put an arm awkwardly around her brother's shoulder and lead him into her room. Every time he stepped he left small grooves in the floor from his claws and he almost tripped a couple times. He sat down once she led him in, and put head on his hands. "I'm dreaming.." he said. She could hear Watson coming back as Sakura continued to cry.  
  
"Come on... just a little further..." 'Momma, why aren't you taking care of Sakura?' she thought.  
  
Shinji sighed as Watson came back into the room, and Sakura's cries began to fade into the night. "Now.. Shinji. Close your eyes again.. And relax."  
  
Ayaka retreated from the room and headed for her mother's. She found her mother inside, with a more peaceful Sakura awake, and laying on the bed beside her. Ayaka thought she heard something crackle for a moment, then there was nothing. "Momma?"  
  
"Yes?" her mother said tiredly.  
  
"We have a problem."  
  
She sighed. "What kind of problem? A hospital type of problem?"  
  
"A giant werewolf problem."  
  
".. A what? Do we have a guest?" her mother asked as she got out of bed slowly. Sakura was too sleepy to notice it seemed.  
  
"Shinji turned into one."  
  
Her mother blinked then came over to her in a hurry. "But your father.. I swear if your kidding.."  
  
"Do you think I would joke about something like this?"  
  
"Perhaps. Where is he now? How much of a mess did he make?"  
  
"He's in my room with Watson."  
  
"With who?" her mother said as she moved past her hurriedly towards Ayaka's room. "How did it happen?"  
  
"He was the first one of them who showed up... you remember, the one who left the card. I called him."  
  
".. I see. Well. It has to be better then letting it all work out on it's own.." her mother opened the door to Ayaka's, and Watson was sitting on Ayaka's bed. A very naked Shinji was sound asleep on the bed behind him.   
  
"Couldn't leave him on the floor." Watson explained  
  
"Mm. Is he going to be alright?"  
  
"He'll be fine.. When he wakes up. We'll really need to take him though.. To explain things.. And make sure he understands."  
  
"Take him where?"  
  
"To the Sept. The same place we were trying to take you to."  
  
Ayaka glanced at her mother. Her mother looked at her. Watson spoke again. "We can't have him going around talking about this."  
  
Ayaka caught her mother's eye and jerked her head towards the bedroom. Her mother nodded, then turned and stepped out of the room back towards her bedroom with Ayaka. "He's right, you do realize.."  
  
"What do you know about this... Sept?"  
  
"Me..? Not much, I haven't been there in a while. And these things change over the years.."  
  
"We can't let him go alone."  
  
"Well, then perhaps you should go with him."  
  
"Why not you? You've been there before."  
  
"Perhaps.. If you really want me to. I just thought maybe it would help you deal with him better."  
  
"I would rather not deal with them at all."  
  
"You are going to have to sooner or later. What if someday, you have children.. And they are werewolves too?"  
  
"There's no guarantee of that."  
  
"But there's a very high chance."  
  
"That's hardly important right now."  
  
"Just go with him, Ayaka. He didn't have to come here... But he did, he helped us. The least you could do is give him a chance."  
  
"I'm not going without the gun."  
  
"Take it. I know I won't need it, after all.n I'll call Shinji's school in the morning. I wish you both luck."  
  
"I think we're going to need it."  
  
"I do too. Stay with Shinji when he first gets up. Goodbye.."  
  
Good night, Momma."  
  
***  
  
Watson had wrapped Shinji in his trench coat before they left the house. It was about twenty five minutes of quiet driving down the quiet night streets and out of town down a quiet two lane road... That turned into a dirt road. With anyone else, this would seem like he was going to kill her, and dump her on the side of the road. The trees were barely even seen in the dark around just outside her window.. The thin crescent moon offered little light.  
  
Ayaka actually recognized where they were. Or at least, the direction they were heading. Her father had taken the family on more than one trip up to the Muir Woods, after all. Maybe this was why he had taken them there, getting them acquainted with the terrain.. Or he could have just liked it. "It's not much further.." Watson said, then smiled a little as he pulled up to a wide trench in the road. He had to know it was there. Anyone else would have driven right into it.. And Ayaka could almost swear she saw steel spikes in the depression. Some had hand grenades on them. He honked the horn in a pattern, and two people rushed out of seemingly nowhere with two large planks of metal with small railings on them.  
  
Ayaka didn't smile back. Her hand was resting in the pocket of the jeans she had thrown on, and on the handle of her gun. If anything went wrong, and any of them tried anything, she would start shooting. They laid the planks quickly then moved out of the way, and the car lurched forward slowly, driving over the pit to the other side. He waved to the people as he drove past into the area. The road went right by one bunker which was carved out very carefully into the side of low hill. Watson seemed like he had driven this road more then a few times thankfully.. He stopped the car, pulling over near three others, that seemed to be the only other ones. There was a faint light in the sky.. From a fire, she was almost certain. "Over these hills. And keep your hand out of there, it looks suspicious." he said, going into the back to pick up Shinji carefully in his arms.  
  
"And driving a couple of kids into the middle of nowhere doesn't?"  
  
"You're a kid? How old are you?" Watson started walking out over one hill, Shinji limp in his arms. He was out like a light.  
  
"You know what I mean." Ayaka got out of the car, making no effort to hide her gun as she followed him.  
  
"Yeah, I do. I'm not going to hurt you though." He said as they got over to the top of the hill. It took about a good five minutes to reach the top. Looking down from above, she could see some figures.. But the high grass in the 'valley' between a good smattering of hills was hard to see into. Even from above. "Ladies and gentle men!" Watson said. "Boys and girls, children of all ages. We have, a new 'born' Garou!" There was a momentary pause, followed by a bunch of hoots, hollars, and cheers that seemed to come from nowhere.  
  
Ayaka's eyes darted around, trying to catch the shapes that had made the sounds. There were a few she managed to see, but all in all it was hard to see anything. "What is he?"   
  
"Hopefully not another Walker. They'll get lost in the woods again."   
  
"Shut up." Watson said. "He comes from a Gazer background, and his sister is with them. Don't try to surprise her. Especially you Metis. You'll regret it for days."  
  
Ayaka frowned a little at the unfamiliar words.  
  
"Yeah yeah." she heard someone say. "Come on." He led her down into the valley. "Kind of like Jurassic Park eh? Don't worry. It's raptor free grass."  
  
"You *really* aren't doing anything to...." She froze in place and watched a spider crawling up her shoe.  
  
Watson didn't seem to notice as it started to crawl along on her ankle. "Just wait a few seconds. Something'll happen. And what do you mean?"  
  
"Sp-sp-sp.....spi-i-der....."   
  
The grass around her began to bend, and soon, it had all bent outwards and lain flat against the ground. "Spider?" He asked as there were some people appearing out of seemingly nowhere. So far, there were about twenty in the general area around them. This was not her night, apparently, as the spider started to crawl up her leg inside her jean's leg.  
  
She began twitching violently as it crawled up her leg.  
  
"Are you having a seizure or something?" Watson asked, laying Shinji on the ground. He took his coat back and put it on, leaving him naked.   
  
"Nice slippers. Where are the bunny ones?"   
  
"Bite me."   
  
"Ok!"   
  
"Down boy."  
  
"Th-th-there'sss spi-spider... on ma-my leg...."  
  
"Yeah? Well just brush it off. They don't bite most of the time." Watson sat down on the grass and yawned, looking up at the sky. "Theurge.. I guess.. Could be wrong, but he wasn't an Ahroun, that's for sure."  
  
The spider made it all the way up to her hand, and she let out an ear piecing screech... right before she fainted. 


	5. Chapter 5

When Ayaka woke up, she found herself laying on a mattress staring up at a brown ceiling. The smell of earth was fresh in the air, and she could feel a wet rag on her forehead. The first thing she checked for was her gun. It was still there, thankfully. A young man's voice spoke to her. "You're awake. Good. I was worried you might have been injured in the fall."  
  
She looked up quickly, nearly drawing her gun. There was a boy sitting in a chair not too far from her, and he had a smile on his face. Judging from his attire, necklace, and hair, he was of native decent. He didn't have much in the way of muscles, but he wasn't fat.. She also realized the walls, floor, and ceiling were all a grainy brown. "Where am I?"  
  
"In my room. I was the one that was picked to make sure you were alright while the others gave your brother the teaching and talking." He had a trusting enough face, and a soft smile to match. "You fainted."  
  
"The spider." Ayaka said, shuddering.  
  
"There was a spider? It's gone now. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Alright, I guess."  
  
"I'm Rob, by the way. I have another name, but, well. For the sake of keeping things simple we all normally just go first names, except at formal things. We're pretty relaxed here."  
  
"I'm Ayaka."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you, Ayaka. I've heard of you."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
He nodded. "I heard there was a reluctant woman with a good back ground, that they were trying to get to come here.. You must be her. I don't think there's any women with quite as good a.. Hm.. How to describe it.. As you."  
  
"I believe the terms you're looking for are paranoid and spastic."  
  
"No, it's hard to describe. I think I heard the word 'pedigree' a time or two. How long will you be staying?"  
  
"Until my brother is taken care of."  
  
"That could be a couple days, you know. Maybe longer. He needs to learn how to shift well, the Litany, decide on a Tribe to train for.."  
  
"Tribe? Litany?"  
  
"You really have been out of the loop, haven't you?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"A Tribe is a group of Werewolves with a certain background and set of ideals, simply put."  
  
"Okay. I don't see how it really matters."  
  
"It does to them. And your.. 'Pedigree' matters... Because it means that any kids you have will be reflected as such. And they will have a higher chance of becoming Werewolves."  
  
"I don't think I like having the term Pedigree applied to myself or my brother."  
  
"I'm just using it as a relative term. I can't think of a better way to say it. I'm sorry, I meant no offense. You should see about finding a place to stay here, unless you want to stay in this room."  
  
"Can you tell me where Shinji is now?"  
  
"Right now, they are probably walking around the woods, or talking to him in one of the rooms around here. Why? He's fine, really."  
  
"I trust you all no further than I could throw you."  
  
"Well, that's fine and all. But I did take care of you, and I did watch you to make sure you were ok."  
  
"I did mention that I was paranoid."  
  
"If I was going to hurt you or do anything to you, wouldn't it have made sense to do so in your sleep?"  
  
"I've had two different men offer me thinly veiled threats against myself and my family when I turned them down since Watson showed up at my store. I don't like the take chances."  
  
"Two men? Who was that? Probably that Shadow Lord.. I know Watson wouldn't have, and the Fianna likes getting things without that sorta stuff."  
  
"One of them was a red head, and the other was a slightly older man."  
  
He blinked. "Yeah. Shadow Lord and the Fianna. What did the Fianna say though?"  
  
"I got the impression that he might come back."  
  
"Some girls would be flattered." He chuckled. "And so would some of the men around here."  
  
"You only confirmed my suspicion that they are interested in me for one reason, and I want nothing to do with it."  
  
"The Fianna is mostly interested in anything with a pulse. The fact you happen to be well... bred is just a added plus. Not all of us are like that though. I hope you don't think I am."  
  
"Frankly, you don't look old enough to be interested in such things."  
  
He chuckled and shook his head. "It's not that. I have better things to pursue. Yes, you are a woman, and not a bad looking one. But, I believe when it is time for me to mate, Gaia will provide. Just let me know if you need anything." He picked up some nearby materials and began to work on making a necklace of some sort.  
  
"I think I'll go look for a place to stay for a little while, thank you." she said, getting up.  
  
"Ok. Go .. Hm.. Go down the small passage, make a right. Take the first right, then second left, and another right. It'll lead you to the man in charge."  
  
"Thank you." She headed out the door and shut it, then looked around. It was a few moments before it dawned on her. She was underground, and was in a tunnel that was sloped and turned so she couldn't see past six feet ahead, or back. This did nothing to improve her moral. At least she still had her gun. There wasn't enough room for them to shift, either. She followed Rob's directions, keeping an eye out for anyone and anything.  
  
Ayaka didn't see anyone.. But that could be blamed on the passage themselves. They seemed to be designed to make things hard to see ahead or back, twisting and turning.. It was almost like one of those ant farms. Maybe there was a being watching her from the outside.. Eventually though, she came to a wooden door, like all the other doors. She knocked twice, then waited.  
  
"Come in, please." a male voice said.  
  
Ayaka opened the door and came inside. She found the room to be bigger then the last, a few book shelves filled to the brim with old tomes and new books alike. Another with paper work and such. There was a desk, and some various things laying around. A man in a chair got up and turned to greet her. He was wearing a simple enough soft brown robe that matched the earth, and his hair, and his eyes. He was a big man, but everything about him indicated a gentle giant. "Can I help you?"  
  
"I'm Ayaka Mori... my brother was brought here a little while ago. I was wondering if I could get a place to stay... until Shinji's ready to go home."  
  
He nodded to her. "Of course. Shinji's sister. I heard you fainted.. Good to see you are ok. I am Dave, just Dave. Would you like a single room? A shared room? Do you need anything?"  
  
"Just whatever kind of room you have free."  
  
"I think I have a small store room that isn't really being used at the moment.. There are some spare mattresses in there you can sleep on."  
  
"That'll do, thank you."  
  
***  
  
Ayaka rolled over on the thin mattress and groaned. The first thing she did was reach for her gun. The room was oddly comfortable for being underground, cool, yet warm. It was clear these were back up mattresses though, and not really meant for sleeping on for long. A snake slithered out of the floor by her, then disappeared into another small tunnel like she wasn't there. She shuddered... but at least it wasn't a spider.  
  
In fact, underground... it seemed there were no spiders. She had yet to see any webs.. Must be a plus to living down there. Everyone also seemed to be helpful enough, if she needed anything.. Maybe it was because of her 'pedigree'. She hated that term. It made her feel.. Well.. Less human. And it wasn't a term for humans.  
  
Ayaka had already decided that as soon as things were settled for Shinji, they were both getting the hell out of there. Some of the people weren't that bad though. The guy in charge seemed nice enough, as did the Indian boy that had taken care of her. Neither had even attempted to hit on her. a decided plus. Still.... it didn't hurt to be careful. She'd been on enough dates to know that all the pleasantness could be a mask.   
  
There was a knocking at her door, quick and hard, delivering a feeling of urgency about it. Ayaka got up and ran a hand through her hair to get it into some kind of order. "Who is it?"  
  
"Me, um, Rob! Some guys are talking to Shinji, your brother? I was topside and saw it. They're talking about taking him home for training, I thought you might like to know!"  
  
She threw the door open quickly. "No one is taking Shinji anywhere else. Where are they now?"  
  
"Up, topside! The grass has been lowered again. C'mon, we got to hurry." He took off at a run up the tunnel, but not so fast as to leave her behind. She followed him as quickly as possible.  
  
Rob slowed when they came to a burst of fresh air, and stepped aside to let her run past. She saw one elder man with two younger looking ones, all with decidedly neutral faces, talking with Shinji. They looked down at him as the lead man talked with him quietly. Unlike the rest of the people at this place, they were all Asian. Very clearly so. "But what about Hiro... Ayaka.. Mom.." The man shook his head and replied again in a quiet whisper she couldn't make out. Rob just watched Ayaka, and them.  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
Her brother turned and faced her, and the others looked up to her too. ".. Ayaka, I think I might have to go away..."  
  
"You don't have to go anywhere with anyone, Shinji." she said, walking up to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, facing the group.  
  
"Yes, he does." One of the men spoke.   
  
"Though he could stay here." another other offered.   
  
"His learning here would be limited as there are none of us.."   
  
"And he'd be more useful back over the ocean."  
  
"He's. Not. Going. Anywhere." Ayaka said, her hand tightening on Shinji's shoulder. It took her a few more moments for it to finally come, but she saw.. He was her father, the middle man. "Ayaka, he can't learn here, why would it make sense to stay?"  
  
"As I recall it, you didn't think he'd ever have to learn this at all."  
  
"Well, I was wrong, but now I see so. We need to take him now though, can't you see that?" Shinji seemed to be half confused, half thoughtful as he pondered it all  
  
"You seem to be wrong about a lot of things that affect your family."  
  
"Shinji, what do you think?"   
  
".... I .. Don't know.." He looked down at the ground, letting out a sigh.   
  
"Well it's best you decide quickly."  
  
Ayaka crouched down next to her brother. "Take your time. No one will make you do anything." she whispered, squeezing his shoulder.  
  
Shinji nodded his head a little bit then stepped away from the both of them. "I need to think on it... Give me a couple days, please?"   
  
There was a pause. "You have forty eight hours, two days. Choose wisely, young one. We should see about getting a room.."  
  
Ayaka stood by her brother, waiting for them to leave. Her father watched Shinji for a few minutes then turned and walked off with his companions. They disappeared into the tunnel near the Indian boy, without so much as a glance. "What do you want to do, Shinji?"  
  
".. I don't know. I mean.. You and sis and bro and mom are here, but I also need to help with things back there, and learn how to.. Get better, I think."  
  
"We could always go somewhere else."  
  
"What do you mean, Ayaka?" He looked her square in the eyes, and she could clearly tell he was torn between the two choices.  
  
"We could move to somewhere else.... somewhere where no one knows us. There've got to be more of these guys around other places, right?"  
  
"But.. Dad said I had to go back with him over the oceans to study right. There are more like us... But they said there were many of our.. Tribe or something like that left here.."  
  
"Dad left, remember? He walked out, and he never even looked back. The only reason he's here now is because you changed."  
  
"Yeah.. I know.." Shinji sighed. "But I'm still a werewolf, and I need to do something.. They said something about defending our homeland, but I don't really get it.."  
  
Ayaka snorted. "America is your homeland. You were born above the shop."  
  
"Yeah.. I know... Ayaka? If I go, will you stop loving me? Will mom?" He shuddered at a thought, and Rob looked off to the side as he heard that.  
  
"Oh sweetie.... neither of us would stop loving you." She hugged him.  
  
Shinji hugged her back tightly, and she could swear she heard a couple voices say 'Awwwww'. "T-Thank you Ayaka.. I love you, and everyone, but I have to think.." Shinji let her go then offered a weak smile. "I'm going to go think now.. I'll see you later.." He turned and waved, heading off down a tunnel quickly.  
  
Ayaka stood up and straightened her shirt, looking around. Whoever had said 'Aww' wasn't in sight, and the Indian was looking off awkwardly to the side, unsure whether to stay or go. Ayaka opted to go back to her room for the time being. She didn't say anything. 


	6. Chapter 6

Ayaka checked her revolver, making sure it was still in good working order. It was, and as if on cue, she heard a knocking at her door. "Ayaka?" She knew the voice. Maybe she'd get a chance to use it after all...  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I came to talk with you. To see how you are fairing, how the family is, and about Shinji."  
  
"We're all fine."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that.. About Shinji.. You do know for proper training, he must leave with us, right?"  
  
"Who are you to decide what's proper for him?"  
  
"The chances of finding one of us to train him around here are slim, Ayaka. Who are you to decide what's best for him, for that matter?"  
  
"I had more to do with raising him than you did."  
  
"You raised him for the first part of his life, I must raise him for the second."  
  
"IF he decides to go with you."  
  
"He will. You know he will, even if you don't want to see such."  
  
"Why don't you just crawl back to whatever hole you came out of?"  
  
"I see.. You shouldn't let emotion get in the way of your vision like that, like a veil in front of your eyes. Decisions can't be made with bias.."  
  
"Experience creates bias."  
  
"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact Shinji needs his training. He could also help us, in time, make more like himself. Instead of tripping across the world.."  
  
"Shinji can get training somewhere else."  
  
"Oh? Where? By who? I suppose you know of someone."  
  
"No, but I'm pretty damned sure we can find someone better than you."  
  
"Mmm... You and him.. Sure. Tell me, Ayaka.. How many forms does a Werewolf have? How many Tribes are there?"  
  
"Five forms, at least four different tribes."  
  
"Right on the first part. The second though. Very imprecise. You can not help Shinji as one of us can."  
  
"Do you even know how old Shinji is? For that matter, how old is Hiro? And Sakura?"  
  
"What does age matter? Hiro and Sakura's ages don't matter right now, they haven't changed.. Have they? And judging from his body and such, I'd say... around thirteen or fourteen years old."  
  
"He's twelve, and you are an asshole."  
  
"This is no time for name calling, Ayaka."  
  
"This is probably the only chance I'm going to get before you disappear again."  
  
"Oh.. Fine then, call me all the names you want. But you are right. I am leaving again soon.. And will only be back, if one of the children change, probably."  
  
"Because the rest of us are just good for breeding more puppies." she spat.  
  
"No, because I am needed elsewhere. But you should all have children."  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"I never thought you'd grow up to be so angry."  
  
"Human beings don't like being refereed to like dogs."  
  
"Since when have I refereed to you as a dog? I can't remember doing such."  
  
"Does the term pedigree bring up any memories? I have every reason to be angry at you. You did the single shitties thing any man can ever do. You abandoned your family."  
  
"I had a choice in leaving my family, or letting a whole area of vast terrain fall into the hands of an evil. There was more then my personal concerns to consider.."  
  
"And now you're going to thrust your son into the same bullshit."  
  
"It's not as though I have a lot of choice. To just let him sit around here would be a tragedy."  
  
"Like you really care."  
  
"I do. He could do some great good."  
  
"You don't care about him."  
  
"Yes I do. Though I suppose there's nothing I can do to prove it to you."  
  
"If you cared, you wouldn't have waited until after he changed to show yourself."  
  
"I do care. But, as cold as it may sound, I have more.. Important things that need doing."  
  
"Go back to your more important things, then."  
  
"Have it your way, Ayaka. If that is what you wish I will leave you alone."  
  
'If I ever see you again, I'll shoot you.' she thought, her grip tightening on the gun. Not that she'd probably ever see him again... Or Shinji, when he left. Unless another children changed and he came back to take another person she cared about from her life. It didn't matter to them who got hurt, as long as they got what they wanted.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka locked the shop door and emptied the register. It'd been a couple days since she'd left the Sept and came home.. Without Shinji. He couldn't even look at her as he said goodbye.. Hiro and Sakura were confused as to where he was, and exchanged guesses, and her mother seemed more contemplative then anything else.  
  
Ayaka has spent the last few days debating if she should tell her brother and sister about what had happened. Thus far, she had kept silent... but she wouldn't wait much longer, she knew. Hiro seemed to be taking the loss the hardest out of any of them. He'd gotten noticeably quieter after the first two days.. If it kept up, she might have to sneak an herb or two into his food. Shinji had always been closest to Hiro. They really knew each other better than anyone else. Even if she didn't tell them the truth, she'd have to come up with something.   
  
It was a bit after nightfall now, and it was time for her to finish up in the shop and order dinner.. It'd been a slow day really, and most of the people outside were locking up their own shops, or gone. As she clicked the lock on the door shut and began to turn to go upstairs, she couldn't help but hesitate as she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. It was a ratty old El Camino with a hard cover of metal attached to the cab and bed, cruising down the street. She stopped and turned, watching the car for a few moments.  
  
The old car continued down the block about 15 feet, then turned and began to pull into an alley.. Something about it was making her skin crawl. It wasn't the alley beside her building, but still... She went to the downstairs phone and dialed the police, watching the car. The phone line was dead, completely. This wasn't a good sign at all. And in the night, the shop cast shadows that seemed to leap out at her, trying to grab her, even with the light on.  
  
Ayaka hung up the phone and ran upstairs. Her mother looked up at her and Sakura was in her corner, Hiro was watching the end of a very crappy transformers show. Her mother spoke up in a concerned voice "Ayaka, are you alright?"  
  
"The phone's dead. We paid the phone bill, right?"  
  
"Times may be a little rough, but yes, we paid the bill.." Her mother frowned and got on her feet.  
  
"There's a car downstairs, parked across the street." Ayaka locked the door. "Something about it gives me the creeps."  
  
".. Sakura? Go over by Hiro and watch his cartoons with him.." Hiro didn't even glance as she got on the couch. Her mother walked closer to her, looking a bit more worried then before. "What are we going to do? Could it be them?"  
  
"We can try to get out through the fire escape and leave in the car."  
  
Her mother nodded her head a little bit. "I could give it a try.. I know the kids would have no problem with it.." Then there was a sound like running.. Up stairs. Whoever was coming was coming fast.  
  
"Hiro! Get Sakura and go to the fire escape." She drew her pistol and drew back the hammer. The gun clicked ready, her mother started over to the fire escape as Hiro looked over at her.   
  
"Huh? Why?"   
  
"Just come here, Hiro!"   
  
Ayaka barely managed to hear over it all the rapid 'clang clang clang' of climbing as the door burst open off it's hinges, landing right in front of her as a black furred beast, bleeding, thundered into the room The large creature let out a roar that drowned out the collective screams of everyone else in the room as the round struck it in the face, and stayed there.. She could see some smoke wisp rising and smell flesh burning just barely over the smell of gunpowder. It swung a paw at her gun, trying to disarm her but failing miserably, the large clawed hand wiping past her face. There were more running sounds heard as she heard the window behind her where her mother was going shatter.  
  
Ayaka turned her head to look, backing quickly away from the door. It was a man that got to her mother faster then she thought possible and shifted into another large, black furred beast. Her mother looked surprised as she was as the thing grabbed her like a rag doll, and threw her at Ayaka  
  
Another roar filled the room as the bullet hit the side of it's head, barely striking the beast. Her mother hit the floor soundly near her, and wasn't moving at all.. Yet another beast came blazing into the room, it's fur also a black color, yet with hints of red. Unlike the others, this one was armed. The spear it held had a pair of feathers tied around the base of the blade.. Which Ayaka saw as the weapon was plunged straight through the chest of the first one that had entered  
  
Ayaka looked wildly about for Hiro and Sakura. They were still on the couch, watching, petrified beyond all belief as the scene unfolded. The spear was withdrawn as Watson entered and shot the remaining intruder in the chest, whom clenched the wound and fell to it's knees. In doing so, Ayaka heard a click-clank of something heavy and metal hitting the floor.  
  
Ayaka backed away from them quickly, assessing her priorities. First and foremost was her mother, then Hiro and Sakura. She crouched down next to her mother's limp form and checked her pulse. "Momma?" she whispered.  
  
Everything froze for a moment, her mother's pulse was barely there as she saw Watson shift and yell about something. The black furred wolf man grabbed her and held her close, and the next thing Ayaka knew, she and it were jumping out the window, creating a rather large hole. As the brick and glass were torn from the building she felt none of it hit her. They landed on the ground. That was when she first realized the wolf was bleeding, but thankfully none had gotten on her. There was another sound equal in power to the roar of the werewolf as the window above spit forth a fiery explosion, and flaming things rained down from above.  
  
Ayaka looked around, trying to get loose from the werewolf holding on to her, trying to find where her family was. It held her close for a moment longer then shifted down into the human form, Watson landed nearby the both of them with a passed out child under each arm. He slowly faded back to Homid as well. It took a moment to realize, but the one that had just probably saved her life was the very young man from earlier.  
  
Her eyes went back to the burning remnants of her home. Her mother... her mother was still in there. Her feet started leading her back inside to certain death, her voice catching in her throat. The boy reached out and grabbed her shoulder firmly, trying to stop her as she ran. "Ayaka! Stop!" he called to her. "We have to get out of here, now!" Watson said in a commanding voice  
  
"She-- she's still in there! She was still alive!"  
  
"She's not anymore, you know that!" Watson shouted back. "Just be grateful we got the kids, now go!" He started to move out of the alley towards a minivan that looked more suited to carrying soccer moms then slavoring death beast. That little part of her mind that had staid rational even when she'd been covered from head to toe in spiders told her he was right. She followed.... but the moment this was over, she was taking her siblings, and they were getting the hell out of California. 


	7. Chapter 7

Ayaka held Sakura in her lap. The four year old had woken up crying, but she didn't try to calm her baby sister down. She was just going through the motions. Sakura continued to cry as the van came to a stop, and the doors opened. There were plenty of people out there waiting for them, and a few rushed over.   
  
"Is anyone hurt?"   
  
"Me.." Rob said. "But I can take care of myself."  
  
Ayaka rested her chin on top of Sakura's head, stroking the child's hair.  
  
"C'mon, lets get out of here.." Watson got out as another person got in, and the boy walked to the door. "We have a spare room you can use..."  
  
Ayaka looked over at her still sleeping brother. "Hiro, wake up." she whispered.  
  
Her brother remained sound asleep, even when she tried rousing him with touch. "Should I carry him?"  
  
"I can get him. Just give me a few minutes." Ayaka said.  
  
Hiro roused slowly from his sleep and looked at Ayaka, looking around him in the van. ".. It wasn't a dream, was it... ?"  
  
Ayaka touched his hair gently. "I'm too tired to think right now. We just need to go. I need to rest. Come on." She climbed slowly out of the van, shifting Sakura so that she was resting on her hip.  
  
".. Ok.." He got out slowly behind her as Sakura clung to her leg. As she watched, the van drove off.. Then disappeared completely from sight.   
  
Watson looked at her bowing his head. "I'm sorry.." he said before leaving.   
  
Rob bowed as well, leading her towards one of the holes in the side of the hill. "I'm.. Sorry for your loss, as well.."  
  
Ayaka's lips hardened into a thin line as she walked, taking her brother's hand. In her mind, she was already making plans. She would collect the insurance on the store and on her mother, empty her savings, and then she would move. Somewhere safe. Maybe Utah, or Colorado. Somewhere very far away.. Preferably away from everything. Maybe even somewhere even her father couldn't locate them.  
  
Rob led her down into the hole, then opened a door about twenty feet down. "Here.. This will be your room, at least for tonight. It's small and you might have to share the bed though.."  
  
"Mm." She walked into the room without looking at him.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka hung up the pay phone and started heading back to her room. The phone was apparently a fetish of some sort...whatever that meant.... Though it hadn't been explained to her exactly how it worked. "That all you needed ?" Rob asked with a smile.  
  
"Yes. The investigation into Momma's death is almost done."  
  
"I see.. I'm sorry about your mother.. But I could only grab one of you... I'll just go back to my room.." He smiled a little bit. "You know where to find me if you need anything."  
  
"Mm." She just kept walking.  
  
As Rob disappeared she found herself with a new companion : the red haired man that had been in her shop. "Hey, how are ya doing lass? I heard what happened, I'm sorry for yer loss."  
  
"Please leave me alone."  
  
"Why? I'm just tryin' to be friendly. I never did nothin' to you."  
  
"I don't want to talk to anyone. Please leave me alone." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was too tired. She hadn't been sleeping much.  
  
"You were talkin' to the boy some.. Is there something botherin' you with the.. Stuff that had happened? I can be around for you to talk to if ya like.."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." she said, her voice still low.  
  
"Well it don't do no one no good to keep emotions all bottled up inside, they just dig in deeper or explode later. We should know, you know."  
  
Ayaka made a non-committal noise. She was too tired for this, and she didn't have her gun anymore. He lifted up a hand and placed it on her shoulder. "Listen, if ya ain't going to talk to me, talk to someone, alright?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Huh? Thank you?"  
  
"For not trying to do whatever it is you tried to do when you came into the shop." she took his hand off her shoulder and moved on.  
  
"Well.. Uh, then I couldn't help myself.. I heard about ya and went to see, and well.." He coughed, turning almost as red as his hair. "But really, you need to do somethin'. Emotions run high in us. Ya could always talk to the boy."  
  
"I don't want to talk to anyone right now."  
  
"Then soon, alright? Take care of yourself.." He patted her shoulder before leaving her be.  
  
Ayaka hurried back to her room. She had no wish to run into any more of them.  
  
***  
  
It was several days before someone decided to interpose themselves into Ayaka's mourning. She heard a quiet knocking on her door. The room was empty, save for herself Hiro was getting some lunch with Sakura. They wanted to give her the chance to sleep, since they had noticed that she had spent her days and nights awake, watching the door, or trying to heal the black wounds in their minds with her meager talents. "Who is it?"  
  
"It's.. Me, can I come in?" It was Rob, and he sounded a bit worried.. Probably for her.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Rob opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. He walked over to Ayaka and sighed, looking down at her. "You haven't been coming out much.."  
  
"I have no reason to."  
  
"Why not? How are you.. Doing? You don't look too good.."  
  
"I just want to sleep."  
  
He nodded his head a bit. "You've been sleeping all this time?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I could give you something for the pain or for sleep, if you want.."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Herbs, all natural. I figured you'd want it that way."  
  
"Sure." Anything to kill the pain.  
  
"Here.." Rob took a pouch out from his belt, and gave it to her. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"As soon as the insurance clears, I'm leaving, and I'm taking Hiro and Sakura with me."  
  
Rob shook his head, sighing then looking to her sadly. "Please don't leave, Ayaka.. I know you're feeling a lot now, but.."  
  
"But I want to get as far from San Fran as I can."  
  
"Yeah.. I know.. Because your mother and all the bad memories... Look.. If you leave and don't stay with some Werewolves.." Rob looked down at the floor. "The others. They'll get you, and your kin.."  
  
"What others?"  
  
"You know those wolves that broke into the apartment?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"They are a fallen tribe of us. They were going to take you, and your kin, and use you to breed until you couldn't any longer.."  
  
"Like your lots plans for us were much different?"  
  
Rob shook his head. "We want more wolves because we *need* them.. We're dying.. But we'd not do what they would." Rob looked up to her. "Unlike us, if you told them no, they *wouldn't* care. No courting. No politeness. Nothing. They'd probably even laugh as they.."  
  
"That. Is. Enough."  
  
Rob blinked. "What? I just thought.. You should know."  
  
"I don't need any more shit piled on me. I've got more than enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life."  
  
He nodded a little bit and sighed. "I'm sorry. I just know that you don't know things like this.. And if you don't know, it could put you and the kids at risk."  
  
"It's a little late for that."  
  
"... When your father came, they noticed the moon bridge being opened in the area. They don't know where we are.. But they knew something was going to happen nearby.."  
  
"And they found us."  
  
"Yeah.. I saw that you were in danger in my dreams.."  
  
"Do you have visions often?"  
  
"Sometimes.. It depends.. I'd had a little.." he coughed. "Peyote earlier, it helps to see things sometimes.. But I'm not a real big drug user. They weren't real sure it wasn't a 'pipe' dream, but when I said I was going whether alone or not, Watson and a few others were picked out of volunteers to go."  
  
"I come from a part of town where opium is still sold openly in some apothecaries. Peyote does not surprise me."  
  
He shook his head. "That stuff will really kill you. None of us do the opium, save maybe one or two smokers.. Drug use here is pretty much organic, natural stuff. Unrefined."  
  
"Duly noted."  
  
"That's not to say we're a bunch of druggies.. But out here.. There's not a whole lot to do.. You still going?"  
  
"Nothing holding me here, and far too many memories in San Fran."  
  
"We're not in San Fran, and if you go, they'll probably get you unless you just go to another Sept.. I don't like seeing those I take care of get hurt again, please, if your going to leave, at least go somewhere that you can be protected.."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it. I want to go back to sleep."  
  
"I'll leave you sleep if you want.. But you have to think about it.. For your own and the kid's sake.. I hope you sleep well."  
  
"Doubtful."  
  
"I know.. Try the pills. I hope you feel better." He offered a meager smile before getting up and turning to leave the room. Ayaka popped the pills into her mouth and swallowed. He left and closed the door as she felt quite tired, and was soon sound asleep.. For once, she even slept without dreams, blissfully unconscious.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka watched her sister sleep, her head resting on her hand. Sakura and Hiro were very much asleep... though neither slept without flinches or jerks at random moments. They probably had dreams like hers..  
  
She reached out and smoothed some of Sakura's hair back. Three years from now, the child probably wouldn't remember what her mother looked like... but she'd remember how her mother died. Ayaka had no doubt about that. As would Hiro, though he might remember how she looked.. Where would they even be three years from now? Would Hiro change like Shinji had? He might.. Then her father would come again.. and he'd take her brother away from her. Just like he'd taken Shinji. Did the old bastard even care?  
  
Probably not.. She never found any emotion on him that told he did.. At least some of the folks around did. Like Rob. And the red haired guy even did some things for her. Ayaka rolled over and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't stay. But she didn't have anywhere safe to go. That was sort of a conundrum. She'd have to make up her mind sooner or later.. If she stayed, maybe she could get better things.  
  
But was she really any safer here? Was Hiro? Was Sakura?  
  
The defenses around the place did suggest so.. And Rob did say they didn't know where they were.  
  
But she didn't trust them. She couldn't bring herself to. Those old instincts that had kept the money from the shop in the family and out of the hands of the Tongs kept her from trusting them.  
  
She'd just have to wait and see what happened.. Out of them all, Rob was probably the best of them. He hadn't hit on her a single time. He even had a 'vision' that saved her.. Though it could have been coincidence. She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't need this in her life.  
  
But like it or not, it was here.. And it wasn't going to go away.. This wasn't one of her dreams she could wake up from, as much as she wanted to.  
  
Ayaka looked at Sakura again, then at Hiro. She didn't just have herself to worry about. They were more important. Rob had said at one point that if she did want to move.. they could move them to another Sept.. maybe somewhere else?  
  
Somewhere else..... somewhere far away.  
  
Maybe.. in Asia? Or Europe? There had to be many choices  
  
Not Asia. Life for women in Asia was close to barbaric. She couldn't live like that, and she wouldn't make Sakura live like that. Europe was a bit more progressive though, as was America, and Canada.. But it just had to be a bit away from it all.  
  
Maybe England. She'd always wanted to see England. There had to be something there. Maybe somewhere even in London?  
  
Ayaka put an arm around Sakura and closed her eyes. She could always throw a dart at a globe or map if she wanted to find a place.. But for now... she needed to get what sleep she could between the nightmares.  
  
The pills Rob gave her had helped.. Before she went, she'd definitely have to get more and learn how he made them. Maybe they could work even on Sakura and Hiro.. 


	8. Chapter 8

The flourescent light above Ayaka buzzed as she filled out the last of the paperwork under the watchful eye of the insurance adjuster. Thankfully nothing had occurred that made him overly suspicious, even if the explosives had made them hesitant... The van outside that had taken her there had three others in it. Rob. The red head. And Watson. They assured her the kids would be safe back at the Sept, Rob swore to it up and down. And they were there to protect her. Incase.. They came again.  
  
Ayaka signed her name on the last of the papers and slid them across the desk. "Is there anything else?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.  
  
The man read them over quietly without a word, then shook his head. "No, everything is in order. Have a nice day." He gathered it all up, flipped through it, and went off into an office.  
  
"You too." she said, heading out the office store. Now she had the insurance for both the shop and her mother.. She only had to think about what she was going to do with it all. The van was right there at the curb when she came out There was only the social security to take care of. Then...  
  
Where would she go if she went? There were many choices. At least now she had more money..  
  
She got into the van and shut the door. "How did it go?" Rob asked as Watson started driving the van without asking for a destination  
  
"I got the checks."  
  
"Good.."   
  
"To the bank then?" Watson asked, turning down a busy street. It was rush hour about.. Watson said it was better that way. More people meant less chances.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alright. Is there anywhere else we must go while we are out ?" He checked his watch, then the dash one. The red haired man was scanning up and down the block, more then most likely the watcher. Rob probably wouldn't even be there if he hadn't asked to come.  
  
"Sakura needs new clothes."  
  
"And that's all? Not a problem. We'll go to a mall or store right after the bank."  
  
There were several more long moments of tense silence before the van pulled up outside a big, stone bank with intricate roman style pillars that were so common in large, old cities such as this. "Rob, you go on inside with her, alright? Just keep quiet and follow along." Rob nodded his head and looked at Ayaka, who just climbed out of the van and headed for the doors.  
  
Rob followed behind quietly, almost like he wasn't even there as she headed to the teller. Surprisingly, there weren't as many people in there as there were on the streets.. Probably because everyone was busy getting lunch.  
  
Ayaka went up to one of the three tellers and said, "Excuse me."  
  
The teller put on a phony smile that was so common to those that worked with people. He tilted his head a little, looking her in the eye. "Hello miss, how may I serve you today?"  
  
"I'd like to deposit this check into my savings account." she gave the teller her account number and her drivers license. "And I want to get this check cashed."  
  
"Just one moment please, ma'am." He looked them over carefully then went into a back room. It was a good 15 minutes before he came out with a couple stacks of cash, and put them on the counter. Some people stared. "Would you like a guard to escort you?"  
  
"No, thank you. Just a bag."  
  
"Alright.. Here you are.." He gave her a canvas bag with the bank's logo and such on it. "Have a nice day ma'am, and thank you for your business."  
  
Ayaka headed out of the bank without another word. Rob followed behind her and got into the car with her, closing the door and locking it. "Now to the store. If you want to avoid that, we do have clothes for children at the grounds."  
  
"I can take care of them myself. Just.... drop me at the mall or something. There are some other things I want to pick up."  
  
"Alright.. But here, have this." Rob gave her a necklace, putting it in her pocket. "If you get into trouble, squeeze it tight and think about your feelings hard. It'll be a signal."  
  
"Alright." Ayaka tucked the necklace into her pocket, along with a roll of bills.  
  
"Seeya soon.." Rob said as the van pulled up outside of a mall and let her out, then drove off to park nearby.  
  
Ayaka hurried inside and looked around. Her first stop was the little convenience store right in the front. It was a fairly large mall, and the inside looked to have some sharp angels inside, which were reflected by a large angular fountain in the middle, with seats around it. The store was to the right, and to her far left she saw the food court was *packed*.  
  
Ayaka perused the isle of the convenience store, picking up some basic hygienic items before heading to the counter to pay for them. The attendant thanked her for her money and smiled, giving her the items in a bag and thanking her for her business. She just nodded before moving on to a chain clothing store. It was just a good thing she knew Hiro and Sakura's sizes.  
  
She picked out some durable, comfortable clothes for her siblings and piled them into a cart, then grabbed some jeans and sweatshirts for herself. Good traveling clothes, they wouldn't have to stop or have to have them replaced for a while, even with the way kids acted.. It was nice to have a lot of money to buy things like that..  
  
Her next stop was a toy store. She picked up a few action figures, crayons, coloring books, and a few dolls. Everything was right where she expected it to be, and everything was running smoothly.. No creepy strangers.. Nothing. It was almost like a normal life. She paid for the toys and headed back out towards the parking lot.  
  
The van was in plain sight, waiting for her, and the occupants seemed pretty bored.. Serious, but bored. She hefted her bags and headed for the van, opening the door and climbing inside quickly.  
  
"Hey cool, your back." Watson said. "Do you need anything else, or is it time to head back to the Alamo now?"  
  
"I have everything I need."  
  
"Alright, back we go then." he said, starting up the van and heading back towards the woods.   
  
"So.." Rob whispered. "You decided yet?"  
  
"Are there any safe places in London?"  
  
"I'm not sure.. There might be. I think Europe has a lot of suckers though.."  
  
"Suckers?"  
  
"Vampires, lass." The red head corrected the boy.  
  
"Greeeeeeeeeat. Next you'll be telling me that the gaki really do roam the night and take on the shapes of their victims."  
  
"I'm not sure on that one. We don't really.. Keep in contact with the East much. Though.. It's possible. Werewolves, ghost, spirits.. Why not gaki?"  
  
"You aren't helping."  
  
"I was being honest with you."  
  
"Mmphm."  
  
***  
  
The van pulled up and all save Watson got out. He drove it off into the spot of seeming nothingness where the van disappeared again.  
  
Ayaka shouldered her bags and headed back to the room. She found Sakura and Hiro there, napping quietly on a bed as she came in. They looked up at her without getting up. "I brought some stuff for you guys." she said, putting the bags down.  
  
"What kind of stuff?" Hiro murmured as Sakura got up and went over to the bags, opening them up to look inside curiously.  
  
"Some toys, some coloring books, some new clothes."  
  
He smiled a little and said 'Thank you, Ayaka' before sitting up himself. Sakura brought over two books and some crayons for the both of them and they began to color quietly.  
  
"I thought you guys might want them."  
  
"We do... Thanks.."Hiro said quietly. Sakura nodded her head. "We've been pretty bored when not.. Asleep."  
  
"I know. How are you two feeling?"  
  
"I'm feeling fine." Hiro said.   
  
"I'm.... Ok." Sakura followed up after a pause.  
  
"If anything's wrong, just remember, you can tell me. Okay?"  
  
"Nothing is wrong.. It's pretty quiet here.." Hiro said as Sakura focused on her coloring.  
  
"How would you two feel about.. leaving the country?"  
  
".. Does it really matter where we go? It's not like we have a home anymore.." Hiro replied and Sakura concentrated harder.  
  
"What you want matters. It matters to me."  
  
Hiro shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what I want... I want Shinji to be here again.. I don't want to dream anymore.."   
  
Ayaka closed her eyes and sat up against the door.  
  
"Are.. You ok, Ayaka?" Hiro asked hesitantly, standing up slowly.  
  
"I'm alright. Just a little tired."  
  
"Then go to sleep.. We'll be as quiet as we can, don't worry."  
  
"I shouldn't. Not yet, anyway."  
  
"Why not? It's not like it matters when we sleep here.."  
  
"I need to think. We're not staying here forever."  
  
"Nothing is forever.. Where are we going to go? Where Shinji went?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Where then?"  
  
"Somewhere far away from here. I've been trying to figure it out myself. That's why I asked what you all would think of moving to London."  
  
".. London? I don't know.. I guess I wouldn't mind.. Where are we going to live there? What are we going to do? What are you going to do?"  
  
"We could get an apartment or something. We've got the money now, with the insurance and you and Sakura's survivor's benefits... and I could always go back to what I was doing before... Maybe go to collage."  
  
"Alright.. I guess.. When are we going to leave? How are we going to get there?" Hiro asked, sitting down nearby her, looking down at the floor.  
  
"I don't know yet."  
  
***  
  
Ayaka dipped her spoon into the soup, stirring it around a little. She wasn't really hungry, but Sakura and Hiro would fret if she didn't eat with them. The area underground was a odd looking cafeteria.. Thankfully they had been given their own table in a corner of it, offering a well outlook of all the entrances and people. "Hiro? Could you pass the salt?"  
  
"Yes, Ayaka." He passed it to her and went back to eating his soup, Sakura was picking at some hash browns.  
  
Ayaka tapped a little salt into the soup and ate another spoon full. A man with dark hair similar looking to the man that had come in her shop the second time walked over to her and smiled down. "Are you alright? And hello, Ayaka."  
  
"And you would be.....?"  
  
"I'm Leon, I heard of your turn of events.. How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm fine, thank you."  
  
"You don't much sound it.. How are you enjoying your stay?"  
  
"As much as I enjoy anything."  
  
"I see... Do you intend on staying long?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Your leaving us then? Where to?"  
  
"Another country."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Maybe England."  
  
The man shook his head at her. "You don't know much, do you? No offense."  
  
"I fail to see how that matters. You look familiar.... I think your father came into my store a few weeks ago."  
  
"You'll all be dead or worse by one month as soon if you went to that place, Vampires are thick as the morning fog there." He nodded a little bit. "Yes, he did."  
  
"He mentioned you. I hope those herbs he bought did the trick." Ayaka chose her words carefully, and kept her tone only slightly more mocking than it was chilly.  
  
He shook his head a little bit with a faint blush. "My father always wants more grand children, but that's not the point. I'm not lying. If you go there you'll die."  
  
"I doubt they'll care about me at all. The only people who seem interested in me at all are the werewolves."  
  
He shook his head at her. "Your related to us, which makes them interested in you. They'll use you as bait, maybe make you a Ghoul, or one of them.."  
  
"No one showed the least bit of interest in me until you lot started showing up at my store."  
  
"And if we hadn't come at all, you'd have had a Werewolf on your hands and no idea what to do with them.. Or you'd all be dead."  
  
"And that's supposed to make me grateful?"  
  
"What you have rather we'd done?"  
  
"Staid the hell out of my life."  
  
"And let you die?"  
  
"Nobody was looking to kill me before you all showed up."  
  
"Things happen.. I"m sorry, but we can't change the past. But going to Europe will just get you and the kids dead."  
  
"I think you're trying to scare me into staying. And that's not going to work."  
  
"Then ask someone that you trust if I'm lying, Ayaka."  
  
"Sakura, Hiro, do either of *you* think going to England will get us killed?"  
  
The man shook his head and sighed. "That's just stupid. They are *children*, and they know nothing of how the world works."  
  
"I trust them more than I trust anyone else here."  
  
"What about that Indian boy you hang around with?"  
  
"Sakura, Hiro, finish your breakfast."  
  
He shook his head. "You shouldn't let emotions blind your judgement." He turned and left her alone with them  
  
"Pack your things tonight..... we'll be leaving tomorrow." Ayaka whispered to her brother and sister when she was sure the man was out of earshot. They nodded to her then started eating their meals again, both of them disturbingly quiet for children. 


	9. Chapter 9

Ayaka listened to the hotel manager list the prices of his rooms, leaning against the pay phone and considering what kind of room to get. First, she would get out of this place... then she'd book a flight to England. She heard a familiar, worried voice speak up from behind her. "Hey, Ayaka.. I heard you were leaving.."  
  
"Mm-hm."  
  
"Are you really going to Europe..?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You shouldn't go there.."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"The undead are many there.."  
  
"And they aren't in San Fran? Or anywhere else in the world?"  
  
"They are around the rest of the world, but they have a virtual iron curtain around those lands, it is theirs, and not many Garou or their Kin are suicidal enough to stay or go there.."  
  
"Why would they even notice me? I'm just one more person."  
  
He shook his head. "You are related to us.. And your, heritage, shows strongly in you."  
  
"Why one earth would they notice that?"  
  
"Because.. They know they can use you, simply."  
  
"For what? The only family that would care if I was gone are both children, and the only reason you all are interested in me is my pedigree." she spat the last word out, still half listening to the hotel manager.  
  
Rob frowned and stepped closer to her, shaking his head and sighing. He looked right into her eyes with his own sad, deep eyes. "You really think that's the only reason I saved you? Or gave you those pills?"  
  
"Not you, no. But your also one of the few here who's spoken to me and hasn't tried to hit on me. But for all I know, you could be gay."  
  
He shook his head. "I'm not gay.. But I care about you, I care about all people.. You shouldn't have been dealt the hand you were, but I can't change that.. But I don't want to see you as an undead... Or just plain dead.."  
  
"I can't stay here."  
  
"That's fine, that's fine.. We can find a place for you to go that's safe. But don't go to Europe.. Please..?" He whispered to her.  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
"Ayaka.. Please, trust me? Have I ever given you a reason not to?"  
  
"I wont go yet. But I'm not staying here."  
  
He smiled a little, looking happy for a moment. "Do you promise..?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Thank you.. And I won't let you down trusting me.. Can I get you anything while I'm up?"  
  
"No. I just need to finish a couple of calls."  
  
"Alright.. We'll talk tomorrow, ok? About where you want to go and all."  
  
"Alright."  
  
He hesitated a few moments before turning and walking off down one of the tunnels. Ayaka listened to the hotel manager for a few more minutes before booking a suite.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka checked to make sure all of Sakura's things were packed, then looked at her brother and sister. "We'll be staying at the Hilton... Cable, room service, the whole shebang."  
  
Hiro and Sakura both nodded to her then went back to coloring. "More then we had at home.." Hiro commented. "Or maybe less.."  
  
"We'll just..... we'll make a new home." Ayaka said, trying to force cheerfulness into her voice. Even she could tell how false it sounded. Hiro shook his head quietly as there was a knock at the door. "It's open."  
  
Rob stepped in and looked around, then sighed. "I thought you weren't leaving soon.."  
  
"I'm not leaving San Fran. We're going to stay at a hotel."  
  
"Oh.. Alright, so your going to stay in San Fran? To live?"  
  
"I don't know yet."  
  
"I hope you stay.. But none of us will force you."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"So.. Would you mind if I came to see you sometimes?"  
  
"If you want."  
  
"Thank you.. I'm glad you've decided to let me be your friend. Is there anything else we should talk about?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
He nodded his head a little bit and looked around. "Well.. I'll go then.."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye." He bowed his head to her then stepped out, leaving her alone in the room with the children.  
  
Ayaka checked the room one more time, then sighed. "Is there anything you two want to do before we go?"  
  
"No, I'm fine.."   
  
"Me too."   
  
"Besides.. What could we get here?"  
  
"Just thought I'd ask." Ayaka said, putting a hand on her siblings' heads.  
  
They both gave her a hug before they all got their packs and departed with their sister. The Sept had given them a small car for the moment to use.. It would have to do.  
  
***  
  
The hotel room was silent, save for Ayaka quietly moving between the two bedrooms in the hotel suit. Sakura slept in the same room as Ayaka, and Hiro had the other room all to himself. Both of them had fallen into exhausted sleep less than an hour before.  
  
Ayaka walked into her shared room and looked down at her little sister, who was curled up around a pillow, crying quietly in her sleep. Her pudgy little legs kicked at the covers, and she seemed to curl up into a protective ball.  
  
Ayaka sat down on the edge of the bed and very deliberately put her hand on Sakura's head. She called up the gift and drew out her sister's pain. The four year old finally fell into a true, deep sleep as Ayaka pulled her legs up to her chin and rocked, tears streaming down her face.  
  
She allowed herself to be miserable for several minutes before finally pushing herself away from Sakura's bed and staggering over to Hiro's room. She didn't sit down next to her brother, though she did put her hand on his head, reaching for the pain that disturbed his sleep.  
  
When she was done, she staggered back out of his room and practically fell into her own bed, feeling more alone than ever.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka woke up the next morning and felt no will to get out of the bed. What was the point? It would all be the same as yesterday. At least now they weren't underground, and away from the wolves.. A small improvement... And she had a new 'friend', Rob.. If he could be trusted.  
  
But everything she'd have before was gone. Her mother was dead. Her home was destroyed. She was responsible for two children. Everything she'd *hoped* to do with her life just evaporated. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She couldn't show weakness. Not now. She needed to be strong for Hiro and Sakura.  
  
Maybe it might be better if she gave into the advances of one of the wolves.. So at least someone would be able to take care of the kids. She was doing a fine job so far.. No, she was doing well.. Wasn't she? It hurt though... She wished she had some of the herbs from the shop, those could help with the pain  
  
She didn't want them, though. She didn't want that life. That was the life her mother had lived..... and look where it had gotten her. She didn't want to get married. She didn't want to have children. She might NEVER want to.  
  
She'd have to do something, or think of something.. But it was hard.. It was hard to even think.  
  
At least the kids seemed a bit happier and content with the room suit.  
  
Ayaka pulled the cover up over her head and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She wasn't sure how many hours later is was when there was finally a knocking at the door, disturbing her from her 'sleep'. "Hiro, did you order room service?" she asked, not poking her head out.  
  
Her brother shook his head and looked at Sakura whom also shook her head.  
  
"Could one of you look out the peephole?"  
  
Hiro nodded and got up, taking a look outside the door and looking back to Ayaka. "Its that guy from yesterday." he announced.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"From our room."  
  
"Mm." Ayaka rolled out of bed, wincing as the sun hit her eyes and shuffling out of her room and over to the door to the suit. "Yes?"  
  
"I came to check on you and see if you were alright." Rob said, looking at the peep hole. "I'm sorry if I woke you."  
  
"We're fine, thank you."  
  
"Alright.. Just checking.. I'll be back another time. Take care of yourself." He waved at her through the peep hole then turned and left her again, disappearing around a corner. Ayaka staggered back to her room and collapsed.  
  
***  
  
Ayaka stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of whatever cartoon her siblings had put on. It had been about two weeks since they'd left the Sept, and Rob had come by every so often to check on her though he'd not been in the room.  
  
Ayaka had barely been out of the bed, herself. She just didn't have the energy. She'd regret it later probably.. But, healing her siblings had just drained her greatly. At least they were happier. She sat up slowly. It felt like something had died in her mouth. There was a knocking at the door. It was the third day again, apparently. She staggered over to the suit door and looked out the peep hole.  
  
It was her friendly neighborhood wolf doctor. He waited patiently for her to answer, then knocked quietly again. She opened the door a crack. "Hi."  
  
He looked her over and frowned, letting out a sigh. "Ayaka.. Hi, you haven't been taking care of yourself."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Don't lie, not like that. A blind man could see you look like you've been drug through a rose bush patch."  
  
"It's just been a rough patch."  
  
"I know how you've been feeling.. I brought some things to help." He reached into his back pack and took out a pouch, offering it to her.  
  
She opened the door enough so she could take the bag, leaning against the frame. "Thanks."  
  
"You need any help? Or you want to talk about it ? I can't help it, I'm worried. I always worry about those I take care of."  
  
"Just dealing with the overwhelming fact that I'm just a little speck in the universe." she said with a weak chuckle.  
  
He shook his head a little bit. "You're not, as long as you mean something to people. Like them.." He gestured to the kids watching the TV. "May I come in?"  
  
"Sure." She opened the door the rest of the way and stood back.  
  
He blinked, a bit surprised that he was let into the room. He stepped inside quickly before she changed her mind, and began to look around, sniffing at the air. "Thank you, Ayaka"  
  
"Places is a bit of a mess... the maid hasn't been up today."  
  
Rob nodded his head a little bit and looked at her, then noticed what she was wearing and kept his eyes focused over her shoulder. "When was the last time you bathed, or really got out of bed for a while..?"  
  
"Yesterday."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I went to see Hiro's principal to formally withdraw him from school."  
  
Rob nodded his head a little bit. "Still going to Europe..? What about before that?"  
  
She just shrugged. "Can I get you a soda or something?"  
  
"Sure.. Just let me do something real quick. Promise it'll only take a sec. Could you turn around?"  
  
"Alright." She turned around with a sigh.  
  
Rob lifted his hands and stroked them down her back slowly, feeling to see if she had any bed sores. She didn't, and she jumped away from his hands, spinning around. Rob raised an eyebrow, showing his palms to her. "What? I was checking to see if you had any sores."   
  
"I'm *fine*." she said harshly.  
  
"I was just *checking*. I am a doctor, you know. I'm sorry for not taking your word."  
  
"Warn a person before you touch them."  
  
".. Why did you think I asked you to turn around?"  
  
"God only knows. Maybe you wanted to zip up your fly.... which IS unzipped, by the way."  
  
Rob blushed deeply and reached his hand down, zipping his fly up quickly. "Sorry!" He said, and she heard the children giggle quietly.  
  
"Now that we're done being embarrassing.."  
  
"Uh.. Soda! Right?" He walked over to where the drinks were kept, opened one, and quickly began to drink.  
  
"Right."  
  
He took one out for her without stopping, offering it to her with a smile as he finished his own. "There you are."  
  
"Thanks." she said, opening it and taking a sip. The carbonation burned its way down her throat.  
  
Rob looked around, heading over closer to the window of the room. "It's a great place you got here.. Much better then our holes in the ground."  
  
"More light."  
  
"More everything.. Real beds, windows, carpet.. "  
  
"TV... Room service...."  
  
He turned and smiled a little at her. "You know how to live, I'll give you that."  
  
"Its only temporary."  
  
"Where are you going to after this?"  
  
"I don't know yet."  
  
"You going to stay around here?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"When are you going to decide?"  
  
"See last response."  
  
"Ah.. Well, tell me, will you? I'd like to know if you don't mind."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Thank you, I promise not to tell anyone else. So.. What do you wanna talk about?"  
  
"I don't know. What do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Um.. Let me think.. What do you like to do and such?"  
  
"I like to read."  
  
"Is that all? I don't see any books around here."  
  
"Well, what I used to fill my life with kind of when up in smoke." She bit the inside of her cheek, keeping her tone light.  
  
Rob ran a hand through his hair and sat down nearby, shaking his head. "Your not fine.. Ayaka.. Do you want to talk? Want me to clean up? Anything? Maybe you should try some of those pills.."  
  
"Hiro? Could you take Sakura to the ice cream parlor on the first floor?"  
  
Rob began to wonder if he was about to be yelled at, looking a little worried. Hiro looked at her, then at Rob and gave her a hesitant nod. "Come on Sakura.. We can have a sunday."   
  
"Really?" she asked, not getting the concerned air in the room. "Ok!" She followed Hiro out the door and he closed it behind them.  
  
Sakura sat down in a chair, put her head in her hands, and let out a ragged gasp. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."  
  
Rob hesitated before reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think your doing a fine job... Considering all you've been through.."  
  
"Its too much."  
  
"I know.. We all go through something like this.. You'd be surprised how many werewolves killed family members when they change.."  
  
"But I'm NOT a werewolf, remember? I'm just a normal person."  
  
"No.. Your not. Your related to us.. With that comes some pain, always."  
  
"I just... I can't take it anymore." she said, letting out a ragged sob. "Everything's falling apart."  
  
"What do you want to do..?" He asked, nodding a little bit at her. "And it happens.. But it'll get better, it will.."  
  
"What I WANT to do is get my old life back. But nothing's gonna do that. It's all gone."  
  
"No, you can't have your old life back. None of us can once we learn.. But what you *can* do is make a new one."  
  
"With what? Where?"  
  
"You have money. And somewhere, does it really matter? So long as you and the kids can be safe there."  
  
"Everyone says that we're not safe no matter where we go."  
  
He shook his head. "That's not true. In Europe it is, but here? There's got to be somewhere, but you'll have to move.. Somewhere east probably, on the other side of the Rockies."  
  
"And everything that happened here will just start all over again."  
  
Rob shook his head. "You don't know that for sure. You act like you just want to lay down and die."  
  
"Bing bing bing. Somebody give the man a cigar."  
  
He shook his head. "That's not you. You don't really want to do that."  
  
"Then why do I wake up every day wishing I was dead?"  
  
"Because your mourning.. It's natural.. I've felt depressed too, when my patients die.. Sometimes many at a time during an attack.. I know it's not like yours, but I've felt it."  
  
"I just want it to all end."  
  
He took a gun out of his pocket.. Her gun, she must have forgot it back at the Sept, and he offered it to her. "If you really want to.." He watched her carefully  
  
"I can't. I can't just leave Hiro and Sakura alone."  
  
Rob put the gun away and smiled a little at her. "Then you don't really want to die.. If you did, you wouldn't care about anyone else. The gun was empty anyways."  
  
"I thought that got blown up with my home."  
  
Rob shook his head. "No.. You had it. I've been holding onto it though.. Just in case. That necklace I gave you though, it's a thing that'll let me know if your in danger. So you weren't ever defenseless. So tell me.. What did you want to do before it happened?"  
  
"Save my pennies and go to collage."  
  
"You can still do that, you know."  
  
"Someone has to take care of Sakura. She's too little to be left alone."  
  
"And Hiro's too young to do it.. Hire a nanny maybe?"  
  
"In case you haven't noticed by now, my family usually doesn't trust outsiders."  
  
Rob shrugged. "What about me? I can be like a big brother or something. Besides, I don't want to spend my whole life like a mole."  
  
"I'm sure you have something better do to with your time than watch a four year old."  
  
"Besides... no school would take me. It's been six years since I've set foot in a class room, and I didn't make the best grades to begin with."  
  
He shrugged a little bit. "You need a guardian anyways. You never know when something might pop up.. And that's ok. Something can be.. Arranged, if you get a school you like. Everything is computerized nowadays, you know.."  
  
"If I can't get in on my own merits, I don't want to get in."  
  
"Why not? You *aren't* dumb. I bet your very smart. But you had to take care of *three* kids and run a shop. No one would get good grades under those conditions.. Getting in isn't that immoral. The grades you'll get once your in will be your own. If you really don't deserve to be there.. You'll fail."  
  
"It's the principle of the thing."  
  
"Then what are you going to do?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You need an education if you want to get a job that doesn't get your name on a shirt.."  
  
"Can't go backwards, can't go forwards, can't stay here."  
  
"It'll be alright.. You'll figure something out. But we've got to get you out of this depression."  
  
"It'll pass."  
  
"Hopefully, with you still in one piece. Oh, before I forget." Rob took out a little card and gave it to her, it was blank, save for a number and notebook lines. "I got a phone, just in case."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem.. Sakura and Hiro'll probably be back soon, so I'll go."  
  
"Uh.. yeah. Probably a good idea."  
  
"Something up?" he asked, tilting his head briefly at her hesitation. He thought as soon as he offered she'd have shooed him out like a pesky cat.  
  
"No, nothing."  
  
"O.. K." He shrugged. "I'll see you." Rob waved to her then headed out the door, leaving her alone in the room.  
  
As soon as the door was shut, she let out a sigh and flopped down on the bed, the bag of medicine still clasped in her hand. 


End file.
